A common entrance test for engineering institutes in the country is set to become a reality from 2013. A decision to approve the common entrance test, stuck for the past two-and-a-half years, was taken at the first joint meeting of IIT, NIT and IIIT councils, chaired by human resources development minister Kapil Sibal on Monday.

Central engineering institutes will implement a weightage system of 40/30/30 (Class 12, JEE-main and JEE-advanced respectively). The IITs have been given a two-year period to accept this formula, and will review the system in 2015. For IITs, the Class 12 board results and the JEEmain test will be given 50 per cent weightage each.

The top 50,000 students (or whatever number the IITs decide) will be selected for the JEE-advanced test. The ranking for admission to IITs will be based entirely on performance in the JEEadvanced examination from among candidates screened through the process. Students will sit for a main test and an advanced test conducted on the same day.

Mr Sibal said there was no “dissent” among the councils on the move, while acknowledging there “was a lot of resistance during the consultation process from the IIT system”. The IIT senates had been opposing the new format.

The minister stated that the selection of the candidates for the IITs and other central institutes would be different even as all aspirants will have to go through all the steps under new format. This system will replace the IIT-JEE and AIEEE.